October 9th, 1976

Ivy sat on one of the stone benches in the Viaduct Courtyard, having gotten up early with Marlene to squeeze in a study session before breakfast. The sun had just started rising, though the sky was mostly dark shades of purple and blue, their only sources of lights coming from burning lanterns.

As fresh as the autumn air was, the Astronomy textbook in her lap only reminded her that she could be in bed instead. Although she considered herself an early riser, even the crack of dawn was a little too early for her.

"Remind me to never get up this early again," Ivy sighed pointedly.

More than getting up early, they'd only been studying for an hour and she was already bored. There were certain subjects that she found fascinating and enjoyed doing homework for, but some of them, like Astronomy, had her bored to tears.

Marlene didn't reply, just tucked a strand of her sandy blonde hair behind her ear as she continued writing her essay beside Ivy.

"Do anything fun for Summer Hols you haven't told me about yet?" Ivy prompted.

"Ivy," Marlene warned without looking up.

"Oh, come on," she frowned. "It's not like we've got mountains of homework piling up."

"We will within the next few weeks."

"Just take a walk with me around the grounds," Ivy pleaded. "There's something I need to talk to you about, anyway."

Marlene stopped writing and raised a brow. "Green, yellow, or red?"

"Red," Ivy used their code to express the severity of secrecy.

"Red?" She pursed her lips but began rolling up her parchment. "Fine, we'll go. But if I find out you're using this as an excuse to not study, I'll start with the Cheering Charms again."

"No," Ivy groaned as they got to their feet, bookbags over their shoulders. "Last year, the Ravenclaws started a rumor that I was abusing Calming Draught. Not to mention the rumor about someone slipping me Essence of Insanity."

"It's not my fault you have such a sour disposition," Marlene smirked.

Ivy rolled her eyes as they left the courtyard for the grounds.

The morning was one of the most beautiful she'd seen, as the sky was starting to lighten with brilliant violets and pinks beyond the snowcapped mountains. The air was chilly but crisp, while dew and frost covered the ground.

"What happened, then?" Marlene asked as they headed towards the Black Lake.

"I met him."

"Who?"

"Him."

Marlene's gaze snapped to her sharply. "Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes," Ivy said. "He's quite a bit more frightening than you'd imagine."

It was only once she'd met the Dark Lord that she'd realized she had seen his face before. She'd seen him in her crystal ball during Divination and occasionally woke from a dream remembering nothing but scarlet eyes and a high-pitched voice.

But seeing him had not been the worrisome part. The fretful part was when Lord Voldemort had used Legilimency on her. She'd suppressed her true thoughts, emotions, and memories in order to show him the life of a dutiful and devoted pureblood daughter. As far as she could tell, he'd bought it, but she'd doubled down on practicing Occlumency nonetheless.

"Did your mum make you?" Marlene asked.

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?"

"I wanted to go," Ivy pressed her lips together, knowing that it was time to have the difficult conversation. "I'm going to become a Death Eater. An inner circle Death Eater.

"What?" Marlene halted, her blue eyes having gone dark. "Why would you do that? You're not actually into the Dark Arts, are you?"

Ivy rolled her eyes, despite knowing that she absolutely adored the Dark Arts. She wasn't about to use that kind of magic on someone who didn't deserve it, but her desire to learn about the forbidden had always been there. And the deeper she delved, the more fascinated she became.

She tried not to think about what she could've become had Hazel not been a Squib.

"I'm not into the Dark Arts," Ivy said defensively. "I'm taking the advice you gave me second year, to fuck things up from the inside. If I get a Dark Mark, I'll have all the most important information."

"That is the worst idea I've ever heard," Marlene told her flatly, folding her arms in defiance. "You can't do that. I won't allow it."

"Allow it? You think that you, under any circumstances, allow me to do anything?"

"Just under this circumstance. Obviously, you're not in your right mind."

"'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You taught me that Muggle phrase. Phrases which, by the way, you're going to have to stop explaining to me. I said one in front of Ariadne the other day and she was suspicious for a week."

"You could just not be friends with those people."

"Not this again," Ivy scowled, feeling her temper flare. "I'm not giving up my friends. And I am going to get the Mark. It's the best way, Mar, I'd be useless otherwise. I've already been useless for years because I haven't fully committed like I need to!"

"No, the best way to go about it is to be like Sirius and just leave it all behind. You saw how he was welcomed by Gryffindor with open arms."

"Please," Ivy laughed bitterly. "You Gryffindors are the worst of the lot; you've been turning the whole school against Slytherins for years. It's hypocrisy at its finest."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" Ivy rounded on her. "Haven't you noticed how the past few years at the Sorting, whenever a first year is put into Slytherin, people boo? I shouldn't have to tell kids on their first day at Hogwarts that they're going to be bullied, outcasted and hexed in the hallways for the next seven years, just because they wear green and silver. As you well know, I have quite the issue with anyone who antagonizes eleven-year-olds."

Marlene glared at her and opened her mouth.

"And then," Ivy cut her off, not finished with her rant. "You have the bloody audacity to wonder why all the Slytherins are joining the Dark Lord's side. They spend years at school being harassed and belittled by their peers – and sometimes even staff members – so when someone offers them power and revenge, it's no wonder they accept!"

"You sound an awful lot like you want to join up," Marlene growled.

"You didn't hear a word of what I just said!" Ivy let out a frustrated scream. "The point is that I can't crossover to your side of things and I won't abandon my friends. Not when there's a chance I can help them understand the truth of things too."

"You're just being a coward," Marlene seethed. "Why can't you be like Sirius?"

"Sirius is an arsehole," Ivy hissed. "He abandoned Regulus."

"He couldn't stand it anymore and I don't blame him! Yet, on the opposite hand, you seem to thrive in the pureblood world."

"Because it's thrive or die. I'm doing what I have to. Not that you'd know a single thing about duty."

"Duty? Like your duty to Snape, the git who called Lily a Mudblood to her face just last week?"

Ivy huffed, very much not in the mood to talk about Severus. He'd been a right arse since Evans ended their friendship the week before, frequently flying into random rages and outright avoiding Theya.

"I've been consoling that poor girl since," Marlene continued. "She's fucking devastated and it's not like you're going to say anything…"

A movement over Marlene's shoulder caught her eye and she squinted, noticing four shapes at the base of the Whomping Willow. There appeared to be some sort of altercation going on, as she noticed the figures shoving each other and heard distant shouting.

"Mar," Ivy said.

"I'm not done yet! The point is that-"

"Marlene!" Ivy spun her friend around and pointed to the Willow.

"Is that Snape?" Marlene's anger turned into confusion. "And… James and Sirius. Ah, Peter's there too. Bugger, we'd better go before they tie Snape to the trunk." She broke into a jog with Ivy at her side. "We're not done talking about this, by the way."

"Agreed," Ivy said between breaths.

As they neared the Whomping Willow, one of the figures departed towards the castle. A minute or two of running had them arriving a good distance away from the tree. Fortunately, the scuffle between the boys had moved far enough away from the vicious branches that none of them would get mauled.

"You fucking prick!" Severus shoved Sirius. "I'm going to kill you!"

"I dare you to try, Snivellus," Sirius got up into Severus's face. "See what happens!"

"Cut it out, both of you!" Potter was trying to insert himself between the two. "Snape, he didn't mean it-"

"What the hell's going on here?" Marlene demanded.

"Brought another Gryffindor to watch me get killed, Black?" Severus snarled, before noticing Ivy, which brought him out of his rage just a smidge. "What're you doing here?"

"Doesn't matter," Ivy said quickly. "What's going on?"

"Lupin's a-" Severus started.

"Don't you fucking dare," Sirius had his wand to Severus's throat in a flash.

"Werewolf," Severus smirked.

"Expelliarmus!" Potter's spell hit Sirius's wand and he cast another Disarming Charm as Severus drew his own. He then rounded on Ivy. "Don't make me take yours, too."

"As if you could," Ivy said snidely. "Now, does someone want to explain what Lupin being a werewolf has to do with any of this?"

Potter huffed. "He's not a-"

Severus lunged for Sirius and they fell to the ground together, rolling and swinging at each other. Marlene rolled her eyes and drew her own wand, quickly fixing them both in effective Full Body-Binds.

"Yes, he is," Ivy said. "And tonight's a full moon so you're not getting out of this."

"She's right," Marlene added grudgingly. "Did Sirius sic Remus on Snape or something?"

Potter ran a hand angrily through his messy hair. "Essentially."

Ivy stared at where Sirius was on the ground, immobile and glaring at Severus beside him. Sirius's best mate had just confirmed that he'd been trying to get Severus killed. He had just tried to murder one of her best friends.

As Marlene began worrying to Potter about where Lupin was, Ivy slid her wand out of her sleeve and into her hand. She subtly pointed it at Sirius and whispered a quick Reparifors.

Before the eldest Black son could react, she jumped on him and began throwing fists. Unleashing the cold fury that always seemed to be festering in her chest, she barely even felt her knuckles bruising as she whaled on him. Listening to the brilliant sound of a broken nose, she had just raised another fist when shouting reached her ears.

A glance over her shoulder told her that Pettigrew was headed towards them behind an alarmed and rather pissed-looking Professor McGonagall.

Sirius took her distraction as a chance to switch their positions, and soon enough, they had matching broken noses.

One Episkey, two disappointed scoldings, and ten lost points later, Ivy found herself outside the Headmaster's office. She'd been waiting for several hours, as Dumbledore had spoken individually to each of the students involved in that morning's altercation. Due to Severus's rantings upon leaving, she knew pretty much what to expect.

By the time it was her turn, she entered the light, circular room with haste, hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, soul-piercing blue eyes fixed on her, giving off his usual aura of calm serenity as the portraits all dozed in their frames. A massive red and gold phoenix sat on a perch beside the Headmaster, looking fairly ill.

"I already knew about Lupin," Ivy walked up to the Headmaster with folded arms. "Severus told me over the summer. I'm not going to tell anyone. And McGonagall already administered my punishment for this morning, so if that's all you needed to speak with me about, I'm rather tired."

"I would imagine so," Dumbledore smiled. "I was going to speak with you about those matters, but I trust that you understand the seriousness of the situation, given your conviction and fairly sound judgement."

"You think I have fairly sound judgement?" She echoed, taken aback.

"Indeed."

"Odd, that," she drawled, not sure what he was getting at.

"Perhaps it is, I hadn't thought so."

"Why not?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that question," his eyes twinkled mischievously.

Theya was right, Ivy thought. He does speak in riddles.

The phoenix on the perch made a gagging noise and promptly burst into flames. Dumbledore glanced over as the resulting pile of ashes made squawking sounds.

"I had a feeling," the Headmaster said thoughtfully. "That would happen during our chat."

"Why is that?" She kept her face neutral.

"I believe you know the answer to that, also, Miss Selwyn."

"Thestrals are omens of death," she said quietly, reaching a hand up to the pin in her hair.

"Close, but not quite."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she lowered her hand to point at herself.

Dumbledore nodded wistfully.

It was then that Ivy noticed someone poking at her mental defenses. Her eyes went wide as she realized he was attempting Legilimency on her. Instantly throwing up shields around her mind, she quickly discerned that he had not been trying very hard to infiltrate her mind. Nor could she sense any malicious intent.

If anything, his attempt felt like a playful nudge or someone testing her defenses to keep her on her toes. It clicked in her mind that he was trying to prove that he was a friend.

"Headmaster," Ivy frowned, deciding not to address it. "I was wondering, how much can you do to protect Hogwarts students?"

"Are you in need of protection?" He asked calmly.

"No." There was an inexplicable feeling in her gut that told her she could trust him and she wondered whether it was another Divination sensation. "McGonagall once told me that I could trust her or you with anything."

"She did."

"While I'm not stupid enough to do that," she watched the corners of his mouth quirk up. "I wanted to know if there's some way you could force Sirius Black to move back in with his parents."

"Why do you ask?" If Dumbledore was surprised by her inquiry, he didn't show it.

Ivy decided not to divulge her most important motive, which was that Sirius could potentially help her convince Regulus to change sides in the war. Even though Regulus had flat out told her he regretted getting his Mark, she knew that he was only in the beginning stages of understanding the reality of the war.

So, she went for a half-truth. "Sirius protects Regulus."

"I see," Dumbledore gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately, the matter of Sirius Black living with the Potters is out of my hands. But I can keep an eye on Regulus Black's situation."

"Thank you, sir," Ivy straightened a little.

One good thing that had come from her meetings with Lord Voldemort was finding out about a group opposing the Death Eaters, called the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore was the leader, so she hoped that if anyone could provide Regulus with a little extra protection, it was him.

She could only hope.

December 29th, 1976

Ivy's eyes start to glaze over as she entered her third hour of torture.

She was in a Muggle's beige and brown kitchen under the cover of night, blood splattering her robes and features. A man knelt before her, screaming in agony as she lashed out with bright, deadly spells. His wife laid on the kitchen table, being tortured by Regulus, though Ivy barely heard anything else going on around her.

There was only her, the Muggle, and Lord Voldemort, the latter of which was continuously probing her mind. It was taking all the effort she had to torture the man and simultaneously keep the Dark Lord from delving too deep into her subconscious. Revealing enough to seem barbarous but concealing the rest was starting to make her dizzy.

Knowing she couldn't keep it up much longer, she forced her eyes back into focus. Her victim's body was mutilated and his face was revoltingly unrecognizable. What was left of his eyes were empty and she lifted a foot to his chest, kicking him back into the pool of blood, which sprayed onto her.

"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted.

The blast of green nailed him in the chest, but the Muggle didn't even twitch, causing her to wonder how long she'd been torturing a dead body.

A black haze had fallen over her mind and she turned to take in the rest of the kitchen, fighting to stay on her feet. The Dark Lord hadn't moved in the past three hours, as he remained a few feet away by the counter, ghostly pale fingertips pressed together as he reveled in the atrocity.

Lord Voldemort's scarlet eyes were on Regulus, who had paused his torture questioningly.

"Finish her," the Dark Lord hissed.

"Avada Kedavra!"

As the victim exhaled her last breath, an unnatural smirk came unbidden over Ivy's features. Still focused on protecting her mind and playing the role, she hardly even heard when Voldemort asked her to kneel before him in the pool of blood.

She did so without thinking, pulling up her left sleeve to reveal her bare forearm.

The pain that came next was nearly unbearable. It felt something like a scorching hot blade digging in and carving out her flesh. She clenched her jaw tight, trying to focus on the sweat dripping down her back and the damp hair that had come loose from her bun, which was stuck to her neck.

When the cutting stopped, she let out a staggering breath and opened her eyes. Chunks of the flesh on her arm had been removed and she felt dizzy again seeing so much blood.

The Dark Lord hissed out another incantation.

Black liquid flowed from the tip of his wand, filling in where her tissue had been intricately and carefully cut out. The fluid was intensely cold but it immediately relieved the pain flashing throughout her, and a frigid electric shock ran through her nerves. The liquid filled the gouges in her arm and then turned solid.

Her arm was whole again, the exact same as before, aside from the dark grey snake and skull that now slithered there.

Ivy beheld her Mark, feeling oddly revitalized. The anguish and exhaustion had gone, replaced by a feeling of cold strength and an eerie calm. She looked up into Voldemort's scarlet eyes as he opened his mouth to speak dreaded words.

"You remind me of Bellatrix."

Regulus accompanied Ivy to Selwyn Estate, all the while trying to get a sense of her mental state. After leaving the Dark Lord, she had grabbed tight to his hand, but hadn't uttered a word, even when he asked her a direct question.

Upon Floo'ing into the Estate's dark drawing room, Ivy remained as silent as the dead they'd left beneath a Dark Mark. Her cold fingers remained in his as she guided him through the dim and dark halls of her home until they reached her bedroom.

As Regulus locked the door behind them, Ivy immediately began shedding her robes and changing into nightclothes. Momentarily shocked, he watched as her robes slipped off her svelte body and only remembered to turn away when she was in her knickers.

Diverting his gaze, he cast a Muffliato and made a move to turn on the light, as the only source of light was the moon just beyond her window.

"Don't," Ivy said hoarsely.

Glancing back at her, she had changed into a black negligee and was sitting on the edge of her bed, hands in her lap as she stared at nothing. The Muggle man's blood was still on her face and neck, dried.

Unsure of how to help, he went to sit beside her and remembered the spell he'd located that blocked out pain receptors. "Did it work, by the way? The spell?"

She nodded, barely, before shifting to lay her head in his lap.

Regulus was surprised, because although Ivy was fairly affectionate, putting her head in his lap was an incredibly submissive and defeated move for her. She curled up, looking exhausted, and he gently pulled the black ribbons out of her hair, noting the way her eyes fluttered at his touch.

If he was being quite honest, he was a little frightened. Because Ivy, the control freak that she was, was relinquishing all of her control in that moment. She wasn't bothering with fronts of toughness or neutrality.

He knew without her saying that this was her lowest point. But he didn't know whether it was due to the torture or the regret that he could feel so clearly in her.

"I can see the death," Ivy whispered.

"Me too," he said quietly. "Most nights when I'm asleep, in fact."

"That's not what I mean," she frowned a little. "I can see it. I saw it on you and Severus when you noticed the Thestrals. It was like ash floating away in the wind. It's on me now, too. Like my innocence is fluttering away in pieces."

"I didn't think you had any innocence left," Regulus tried for a joke.

"Ha ha," Ivy said humorlessly, fixing her silver gaze on him. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Oh, sure, anything."

Ivy sat up and led him to the attached lavatory. She went to a cabinet beneath the sink and retrieved a towel, tossing it over to him before going to sit on the edge of the tub. Lifting a shaky hand, she gestured to her face and neck.

Regulus nodded in understanding. Rolling up his sleeves, he wetted the towel before going to kneel in front of her.

Gently wiping the dried blood from her, he was only a few inches from her face. As he carefully wiped over her face and neck, she watched him with something harrowing in her eyes, a look that he did his best to ignore. Entirely ignoring the curve of her breasts just above the neckline of the negligee, he focused on getting every filthy drop off of her porcelain skin.

In a strange way, he found the moment peaceful. Not because of the torture or death or the look in her eyes, but because she was letting him take care of her. Whether it was due to delirium or desire, he didn't know. But he appreciated it. Because although she was silent and still, this was the rawest he'd seen her in years. He could actually see how she felt, instead of gauging nothing from the mask she typically wore.

Regulus went over the same areas twice to make sure he got everything before setting the cloth aside. He shifted his weight back onto his feet, as his knees were becoming disgruntled.

"We have the same scars now," Ivy broke the silence, sounding a little like she was talking to herself as she traced a finger over his Dark Mark, then the scar on his collarbone. "The exact same scars."

Knowing that she meant more than just physically, he gave her a small smile. Taking her left hand, he turned her wrist to see her Dark Mark. Leaning down, he kissed it softly.

"Your scars are much prettier than mine," Regulus said.

"And they call Sirius the smooth talker," Ivy gave a half-hearted smile, a little light coming back to her eyes.

"There you are," he let out a low laugh. "I was wondering if you were going to come back to me."

"I don't even know if I'm coming back to me."

"Don't say that," he said softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be fine," she avoided his eyes. "It's not like anyone needs me."

"I need you," Regulus told her, bringing a hand up to chin and gently making her look at him. "So does Theya. And the Dark Lord, too, apparently."

"Too soon," Ivy winced, though a short laugh came with it.

"Got you to laugh, though, didn't I?"

"You've got a wicked sense of humor," she rubbed her eyes. "I'd better get to bed."

"Probably," Regulus sighed and stood.

"Wait," Ivy caught his hand. "Would you – would you stay with me tonight?"

"Oh," he raised his brows. "What about your mother?"

"Fuck her," Ivy said dryly. "Besides, I… I can't be alone tonight. Please."

Regulus looked at her pained silver eyes, her white hair stringy from sweat. There was zero chance that he was going to say no to her and he gulped, knowing that he'd very well give her the ocean if she asked for it.

Giving her a nod, Ivy led him back to her bedroom and got under the covers. He respectfully maintained his distance on the right side of the bed, inhaling that lavender smell as they rested quietly.

He'd only been laying there a few minutes before Ivy snuggled into him.

Regulus knew it wasn't a sexual move and pushed off all those related thoughts as best he could. She curled up with her back against his chest, taking his arm and securing it tightly around her. The little movement she made with her hips to get comfortable tested his restraint, but he forced himself to think about anything other than how close she was.

The moment was too precious for him to ruin. And as he fell asleep, holding her against him like he wished he could do every night, he knew there was little he wouldn't do to hold her like that again.